Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio 2 today - Wedding Photography Stories. Why you should do your research!

Did anyone catch the Jeremy Vine show today? There was a really interesting discussion about wedding photographers, particularly homing in on one wedding photographer who has a fair amount of disgruntled customers. One thing that immediately struck us though, was that this guy was charging £350 to do the photography AND a video. The photography is of very poor quality, and by the sound of the complaints he was also unprofessional. Surely the old saying comes in here – you get what you pay for!

The programme features highly regarded wedding planner Sarah Haywood who is very refreshing in her advice!

When hearing about quotes from other couples, or seeing wedding photographers’ pricing, we are usually very wary of anyone who says they can shoot a whole day wedding for under £1000. Producing beautiful wedding photography is anything but a one day job, we put hours into the processing of every individual photo to make sure it is an accurate representation of your wedding day and brings back the memories at a glance.

Things to consider

– A good set-up costs money. You should expect any professional wedding photographers to have professional digital SLR cameras, which can cost over £3000 for the body alone, bearing in mind this will need updating every few years. Add another few thousand pounds worth of lenses and that’s just the basics.

– Look at much more than the portfolio on their website. The portfolio is considered the best of the best, but ask to see a whole real wedding so you can see the standard across a whole day. We’re happy to share real wedding galleries if asked, and when we have the pleasure of meeting you we will show you a real wedding album that we created for a previous client.

– Meet your photographer socially. We’ll never invite you to our home or office, not because we don’t want to, but because we don’t want to make you feel like you are getting the big sales pitch. Preferably we meet our prospective wedding couples in a nice bar or coffee shop, so you can see if we are people you would like hanging around your wedding – after all, we’re essentially your most important guests that day. Don’t settle for someone you aren’t sure about, the last thing you need to be worrying about on your big day is having someone you don’t really like at your wedding.

– Break down the quote they give you. They will incur an expense visiting your venue before the wedding, then will have to travel on the day, shoot for however many hours, import it all and then sit and edit your wedding photography throughout a good week or so. Next they’ll upload it to their website, create usbs, design and pay for albums, the list can take them into 30-40 hours worth of work in total. If you’ve been quoted £500 for all that, ask yourself how much time they will really be spending on the most precious photographs you are likely to own in your life….

– It will be tempting to ask your cousin with the good camera to do your wedding photography, but do think again. If they are a guest, chances are you’ll get pictures of the day and nothing after the meal once they’ve had a few drinks. More importantly, being a professional wedding photographer is more than just having the right equipment. We know the moments, the shots you’ll treasure, we can pre-empt the way the day will go and are experienced enough to deal with the pace of the day and when things don’t quite go to plan. We will have planned wet weather options and be able to change the schedule in a moment to suit what happens in the day, because your wedding photography is our passion, our business. We really do love weddings!

Your wedding photography is the only real thing that lasts from your wedding day. You may keep your dress but even that is unlikely to be worn again. Do consider this when setting your budget, as you can’t underestimate how important your wedding photos will be to you in the years to come.

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